A Pandemic Wedding In Stamford?

When Andrew called, I was surprised that his wedding date was August of this year. It was currently July and we were in the middle of a pandemic – most events were heavily capped and restricted. Weddings were required to be outdoors and under a certain number of guests, depending on what phase of lockdown it was. Luckily a Stamford Italian Center Wedding was in the cards as they had already prepared an outdoor space.

Yes, The Wedding Is THIS August

In any event, yes, Andrew’s wedding would be August of 2020 with whatever regulations were in effect. We talked over what that meant, what would happen under various circumstances, and what everyone was comfortable with. Masks would be worn by staff throughout the event, hand sanitizer would be used, and microphone covers would be replaced between toasts. The DJ would have a personal microphone, the event would be held outdoors under a wedding tent behind the venue, and we would have a backup DJ for redundancy. Rescheduling for any reason due to COVID would not result in additional charges or fees.

A Stamford Italian Center Wedding

After coming to an agreement on logistics, we outlined everything in our contract and booked! Several guests would have been traveling from Africa, but many could not due to travel restrictions. Andrew’s ceremony would be held off-site at the nearby church, so we would cover the wedding’s Cocktail hour and Reception. A standard itinerary would follow, starting by introducing the Wedding Party so they can jump right into spotlight dances of the bride & groom and parents. The officiant would say a prayer during dinner, the cake would be cut to kick off dancing, and we’d have the bouquet toss as we saw fit.

Despite the extra coordination involved, this Stamford Italian Center Wedding went off without a hitch!

Guests: 100

Age Groups: Mixed, 8 to 88

Wedding Party: Yes

Wedding Party Introduced: Yes

Dinner: Tables assigned, plated meal

Music Likes: Burna Boy, Jamie Foxx, Sia, Drake, Major Lazer, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, Davido, Fugees, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, Future, NSYNC, Avicii

Agenda

5:00 PM – Cocktail Hour

6:00 PM – Reception

6:15 PM – Grand Entrance

First Dance

Father/Daughter Dance

Mother/Son Dance

Prayer Before Meal

6:30 PM – Dinner served

Toasts

8:30 PM – Cake Cutting

9:30 PM – Bouquet Toss

11:00 PM – Conclusion

Song Selections

• Tale As Old As Time & L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole

• Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses

• Lou Monte – Che La Luna Mezzo Mare

Vendors

Venue: Italian Center of Stamford

Caterer: Michael of Columbus Park

Photographer: Wah at Happyhaha Photography